Allegiant: How It Should Have Ended
by twentythousandfeetaboveground
Summary: **Spoilers** Tris survived. Now what does the future hold for her and those she loves? This is my take on how Allegiant should have ended.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: So I was very upset with the ending to ****Allegiant****. I thought it was an amazing book, but I felt that Tris's death wasn't necessary. So I decided to write what I believe should have happened instead. This will have multiple chapters if you guys want, just let me know. For now though, enjoy the story :)**

**_From _****_Allegiant_****_ chapter fifty_**

_I hear footsteps in the hallway outside. The soldiers are coming. Good- I need them to. I need them to be exposed to the airborne serum, to pass it on to the rest of the compound. I hope they wait until the air is clear of death serum._

_…_

_I feel a thread tugging me again, but this time I know that it isn't some sinister force dragging me toward death._

_This time I know it's my mother's hand, drawing me into her arms._

_And I go gladly into her embrace._

_Can I be forgiven for all I've done to get here?_

_I want to be._

_I can._

_I believe it._

Pain.

That's the first thing that comes to mind as the darkness lifts. My entire body aches, but why?

I try to open my eyes but they are sealed shut. It was as if I cried myself to sleep, but that doesn't seem right. I don't remember going to bed. I don't remember having a reason to cry. All I remember is…

"Mom." I mumble, but it comes out hoarse.

Questions tumble through my head as my mind begins to focus. What happened? Where is she? Or more importantly, where am I? What happened to me?

I try to open my eyes again and this time it works, but I have to shut them again instantly because of the blinding light above me.

"She's waking up!" I hear a woman shout. I recognize the voice, but barely.

"I'll get the pain medication ready." Another voice states, this one, obviously male, is foreign to me.

"What-" I try to speak, but the first voice silences me.

"Shh it's okay. You're okay."

I want to tell the woman that I know I'm okay. My body hurts, I can't speak, I can barely open my eyes, and I don't remember how I even got this way, but I'm breathing. I'm alive, and that makes me okay.

"Here you go. I'll be outside if you need anything." The male voice says.

"Thanks, Travis. Now I'm going to give you some medicine, okay? It will take the pain away." The woman soothes. The pain is replaced by numbness. I shake my head.

"No. No… peace… serum." I manage to get out. I didn't want to go down that road again. My time in Amity seems like so long ago, but the memory of those hours spent locked in my room laughing at nothing are still fresh in my mind.

"It's not peace serum, it's called morphine. It'll take the pain away. I think you should try to go back to sleep for a little while, your body needs to rest so it can heal. Don't worry."

The thing is, when someone tells you not to worry, you always worry even more. I open my eyes, squinting at the blinding light.

"Please, don't." I manage to shift my eyes to a figure on my right. I can make out a white smock and dark brown hair, but as for facial features I'm at a loss.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's doctor's orders. Once you become more stable, I can stop giving it to you. But right now you need to relax and sleep." I see the figure stick what looks like a tube into another tube. No, a needle into a tube. I open my eyes more and follow the tube down towards my hand.

"What is this?" I ask, now glaring at the woman next to me. I can open my eyes almost all the way now, so I see the calculating expression on her tan face. _Erudite_, I think to myself. But she seemed too nice and relaxed to be Erudite, too serene.

"That is an intravenous tube," she sates, pulling the needle out of the tube. "It goes directly into your hand so we can deliver fluids and medicine to you without having to give you multiple injections."

I glance down at my hand again and notice a large bandage wrapped around where the tube connects with flesh.

"What happened?" I ask still staring at the bandage. The woman glances down but dismisses me and continues fiddling with the needle she's holding.

"That's just to keep the IV in place so it doesn't slip out." I nod and continue scanning my body. Most of it is covered by blankets though, so I try to raise my right hand and tug them off. I'm startled when my hand refuses to move.

"My hand." I panic. The woman only nods and disposes the needle in a marked bucket behind her.

"Your arm was shot, it will be difficult to move any part of it for a while, that includes your hand."

"I was… shot?" No. I wasn't shot. My mom was hugging me and then… then darkness. Then I woke up here, wherever here is.

"Yes, three times. Once in your arm, once in your stomach, and once in your head."

She says it so matter-of-factly, but I go cold. All of a sudden I can feel exactly where those three bullets pierced my skin. All of a sudden visions of a man in a wheelchair, smoke- and spice-smelling airborne serum, and Caleb dance before my eyes. The attack. I made Caleb leave, I took his place because I knew I would be resistant to the death serum. But David was waiting for me. And he shot me. He shot me in my head.

"H-how did I survive?" I close my eyes, replaying the scene over and over again. Surely I was dead. I saw my mother. My mother was there talking to me.

"Honestly, we don't know. You suffered major blood loss, but your friends and some medics got to you in time. You were lucky I guess."

"You said I got shot in the head though."

"Technically the bullet only grazed your scalp, it didn't go past your skull, the bullet in your stomach didn't hit any major organs, and the bullet in your arm missed your brachial artery. Like I said, you got very lucky. Thankfully David was never a good shot."

The woman, who I now recognize as the nurse who helped me in the hospital after the first attack Nita planned, gives a soft smile. She then proceeds to walk over to the counter and wash her hands.

_That's right, they're germ freaks here_, I think to myself.

I look around the room, now accustomed to the bright light. It looks the same as when I was here a couple days ago, minus the large amount of injured people. Now I'm the only one here.

"But I remember my mother," I start. The nurse looks over at me as she dries her hands. "She was there and she took my hand and I was going to leave with her. I was going to go with her to…"

"Often when people suffer major blood loss they experience hallucinations."

"No, it wasn't a hallucination, she was there. She took my hand and hugged me. I felt it!" I hear the beeping of the heart monitor beside me start to pick up its pace as I begin to breathe faster. She was there, I wasn't hallucinating.

"No, honey. That was a medic. A couple of them went in to help you after your brother shot David. You probably just imagined the medic who picked you up to carry you here as your mother." I shake my head in disbelief.

"Caleb shot David?" The nurse walked over to me and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Yes, he did."

"And is David…"

I trail off, but I already know the answer. Caleb went through a training session with Tobias to learn how to handle a gun. By the end of it he could hit the middle of the target every time. He was a quick learner, just like I was during my initiation. I guess that's the Erudite in us.

"David is dead." The nurse confirms. I just nod, trying not to think of my brother as a killer. Trying not to think he is like me now.

"Well, I'm sure that medicine is starting to kick in," the nurse says as she stands. "I'll let you get some rest."

I don't feel the pain as much and my mind is becoming foggy, but I can't stop thinking about what happened. I remember taking Caleb's place. I remember the death serum and how I survived it. I remember David and him admitting how he loved my mom. I remember pain and numbness and then my mom was there. But she wasn't actually there, it was a medic. Caleb shot David and the medics saved my life.

I try to make sense of it all as my vision starts to blur. After a couple minutes of resistance, I fall into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

I wake to cold hands holding mine. Hands I would recognize anywhere, yet never tire of. Coming out of my haze, I think of the way they felt when I held them the first time walking towards the hidden space near the chasm. I think of the innocence of that moment and how things have changed. Just days ago I was wrapped in his arms as he grazed those same hands down my spine. I smile at the memory and open my eyes.

He's sitting next to me, looking down at our intertwined hands. I want to laugh at how pale I am, how my hand practically blends in with the white sheets. But his hands are pale too, and that laugh gets caught in my throat.

His entire body is pale except for the heavy dark circles under his eyes. He hasn't showered and from what I can tell, hasn't changed his clothes either. The fabric is loose around his torso, making it seem as though he's lost twenty pounds. He leans on his knees as though nothing could support him. He's weak and tired and broken.

And I made him this way.

"Hi." I mumble. He lifts his head at the sound of my voice. His dark blue eyes, wide with shock, find mine instantly. For a moment I swear I see tears, but they are gone once he blinks. A hard glare taking their place.

"Hi."

We sit there just staring at each other for what seems like an eternity. He doesn't take his eyes from my face and keeps his hands wrapped around mine. It is if he's afraid if he looks away, if he lets me go, I'll be gone forever.

And this will be the time I won't come back again.

"Tobias, please. I know what you're going to say-"

"No, you don't." He interrupts.

"Yes I do. You're mad at me, I can see it in your eyes. You're giving me your 'I'm so disappointed in you, I can't believe you did that' look. I've seen it before and I don't want to see it again. I'm sorry, okay? But I had to do it, you know I had to. I couldn't just let Caleb-"

"I know." He looks down again, back at our hands.

"What?"

"I know. Tris," he takes a deep breath. "You've always been the one to sacrifice yourself. You've always had this Jesus complex. You've always been too selfless for your own good. I should've known you would take Caleb's place, but I thought… I just thought that since we… since we promised we'd always be with each other…"

He looks up and now the tears in his eyes are real. My heart shatters at the sight of them. My Tobias, the boy who had suffered for years under his father's hands, the boy who hid his emotions from everyone, the boy who had built a wall around him so no one could ever hurt him again, is falling apart. All because of me.

"Tobias…" I trail off. He pulls his hands away from mine and uses them to cover his face.

"Caleb told me that you didn't want to leave me," he mumbles through his hands. "So why did you? Why do you always leave me?"

His walls are crumbling. I'm reminded of the small boy I saw years ago at his mother's pretend funeral. But this time, instead of hiding behind the curtains, he hides behind his hands. So this time, instead of watching from a distance, I reach out and hold his face. It takes a couple seconds, but he takes my hands in his again and leans his cheeks on them.

"I didn't. I'm here, okay. I'm here and I will always be here."

I try to sit up but the pain in my stomach is too much, so I settle for pulling Tobias towards me. He bends down and leans his forehead against mine. I wrap my hands around his neck as he places his hands on my cheeks. We breathe the same air for a while before I speak again.

"I will never leave you."

And that is it. His lips crash onto mine and my fingers find their way up his neck and through his hair. Low moans escape our parted lips as our tongues dance. His hands still hold my face and I sink into them. They are warmer now, I assume because of the heat radiating from my face. I can feel him move from the chair he was sitting in onto my bed and I try to make room for him without causing myself pain or breaking the kiss. We sit together and try to kiss for as long as possible without pulling away to breathe.

All I can think of is fire and how even when flames burn down a forest, they make way for new life to be born from the ashes. And that's what we are doing.

We are being reborn.

In the moments between kisses when we have to catch our breath, he whispers, "I love you." And I tell him, "I love you too."

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**Author's note: Thank you all so much for your reviews on the first chapter! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you liked this chapter as well :) If you guys having any ideas for me as to where I should take this story, I'd be happy to hear them. I have a couple ideas but I would love your input too. Thanks again :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"So it worked?"

I'm sitting up in my hospital bed now trying to piece everything together. Tobias tells me what happened, but it's hard to believe.

Evelyn listened to him and agreed on a peace treaty with the Allegiant. Marcus is gone. No one knows where he went, but we can all assume he isn't coming back. Peter took the memory serum and is now wandering around Chicago, hopefully becoming a better person. The memory serum erased everyone's memory in the compound. It took a while to spread, but in a couple hours everyone was walking around clueless as to who they were. Most of them are still being debriefed. They are being taught the truth: all genes are different, none are more pure or more damaged than any other. But they are also being taught lies: it was a freak accident that erased their memories and they've always wanted equality for GDs. Many people, like my nurse, believed this lie right away, which makes me think that there were more people like Matthew or Nita in the compound. There were more people against David and the idea of pure genes than we thought.

Zeke and his mother are here to see Uriah. To say goodbye. Tobias says they've all been in that closed-off hospital room since they got here, but haven't unplugged Uriah yet. There's still time. There's still hope. The doctors still insist that they can't register any brain waves from him but… miracles happen every day. Maybe he'll wake up and give me that devilish smile like he used to.

The hardest part of the story is hearing what happened after I went into the Weapon's Lab. A couple soldiers followed me, but were killed by the death serum. The soldiers who ran after Caleb were shot by Matthew and some medics. Tobias doesn't know how Matthew convinced the medics to kill the soldiers. Once the soldiers were out of the way, Caleb, Matthew, and the medics ran back to the Weapon's Lab. By then the death serum had dissipated, and though the memory serum was spreading, Matthew quickly got control of the confused medics. Caleb shot and killed David. A bullet through the heart then a bullet through the head. Just like Tobias taught him: aim for the center mass first. That will stun the person, if not kill them. Then go in for the kill, a head shot, if you need.

My brother is a killer. His entire life, he was too scared to let our parents know he had books in his room. Yet, in an instant he killed someone. That someone was David, the man who tried to kill me, so I shouldn't be upset. But I don't know if I can bring myself to ever look at Caleb the same again, knowing blood stains his hands. I don't know if I can accept the fact that we are more alike than I ever thought.

The medics brought me to the hospital and that's where I've been for the past three days. Now, everyone's just trying to get on with their lives.

"Yes, it worked." Tobias answers.

"So what now?"

"I don't know. I guess we just have to take it one day at a time."

It sounds simple coming from his mouth, but we both know it's going to be harder than that. Each day brings all new challenges, and I don't know if I'm strong enough to handle that anymore.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but you have some other visitors, Tris."

I look away from Tobias towards the nurse standing at the door. Before I can respond, I hear a voice shout from the hallway.

"Tris!" I smile instantly at the sound of Christina's voice. The nurse moves and Christina, Matthew, Cara, and Caleb walk through the door.

"Hi guys."

"I'll leave you all to your reunion." Tobias says. He bends down and gives me a soft kiss, then walks out of the room. I want to protest, to call him back in here, to make him stay with me, but I let him go.

"You are the luckiest person I've ever known." Christina announces as she wraps her arms around me, then she sits down in the chair Tobias was sitting in.

"I don't think luck has anything to do with it. I think it was just your stubbornness that got you through it all," Matthew laughs. "And my excellent timing."

"Oh shut up," Cara says rolling her eyes, but she gives me a soft smile. "I'm glad you made it out alright."

"Thanks. And Matthew, thank you for bringing the medics." Matthew smiles and glances at Caleb who is still standing by the door.

"Caleb…" I don't even know where to begin.

"Beatrice, I'm sorry."

I stare at him.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Caleb shakes his head and looks down at his shoes.

"I'm sorry I let you give your life for me. I should've been the one to die. Everyone knows it."

I don't know how to respond. I know that's what everyone thinks, but that's not what I think. That's not what I wanted to happen. I may have realized that at the last second, but I did realize it. Caleb, no matter how much pain he put me through, is still my brother. And I still love him.

"Could you guys give us a minute?" I ask the others. They all nod and exit the room, leaving Caleb and I alone.

"Listen to me. I don't regret saving your life. And it all worked out in the end, didn't it? You… you saved my life too."

He still stands by the door, but he looks up at this. I see pain in his eyes.

"I didn't think I was going to. I thought I was… I thought we were too late. The medics were worried. Beatrice, you lost so much blood and-"

"And they healed me. And now I'm sitting here, talking to you. All because you came back for me."

"I killed him," Caleb whispers. "I didn't think about it. I just did it."

I don't look at him, knowing all too well the guilt he is feeling right now. I think of Will. I think of Al. I think of Tori and Marlene and Lynn and my mother and father and all of the people who have died because of me. I know what it's like to have their deaths replay in my mind over and over and over again, just like how David's death is replaying in Caleb's mind now.

"It was the right thing to do."

"I know. But…" he pauses and shifts his eyes back towards his shoes. "What makes one life more important than another?"

"I'm your sister."

"And that's why I did it."

I nod, but feel as though he's not telling me the entire truth. _He was guilty_, I think. _He let you go to your execution once again and he knew he couldn't live with himself if he didn't come back for you._

It takes a couple seconds for the words to escape my mouth, but once they do, I know there's no turning back.

"Caleb… Why did you really come back for me?"

He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. Then he lifts his head and walks over to me. Once he's at my bedside he stares down at me.

"Remember back when we went to the Dauntless control room to wake everyone up from that first simulation? When the dauntless were turned into-"

"A mindless Erudite army. Yes, I remember." Bitterness seeps through my lips.

"And do you remember what I told you when you told Marcus and me to stay with Peter while you and dad went to the control room?"

I think back to a time when my father was still alive. Back when things actually seemed… simple. At least, compared to how they are now. Back before I knew what was outside the fence.

"No, I don't."

"I told you that I couldn't stay there while you went and risked your life. It killed me knowing my little sister was leaving me and I may never see her again. And though you may not believe it, that's how I've always felt. I've always wanted to be there for you, to protect you, and I know that I haven't for the past couple months. But when you took the backpack, when you aimed your gun at me, when you took off running towards your death, I knew I couldn't let you go again. I love you, Beatrice. I hope you realize that."

Through the tears that have formed in my eyes, I see Caleb smile. I reach my good arm out to him and he tucks himself inside it, wrapping his arms around me.

_He did it because he loves me._

After a few seconds, he pulls away and I wipe my eyes.

"Can you forgive me?" He asks. I nod.

"Can you forgive me?" I ask. He nods.

I thought it would take longer for my heart to heal, but life is too short to stay caught up in the past. We have to forgive and move on. I look at Caleb and I no longer see the Erudite boy who left me all those months ago. I see my brother, the boy who came back and saved me not out of guilt, but out of love.

We are family again.

* * *

**Author's Note: Long chapter for you guys this time :) I really wanted to get the whole Caleb and Tris relationship settled. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Stay tuned for more chapters!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Hi everyone, sorry this is so late. I've been crazy busy with school and vacation, but now I'm back! I hope you guys like this chapter. Make sure you review :) Thanks!

* * *

"Tris, wait!" I slow down, but continue walking towards the large doors. I've been trapped in the hospital for over a week now. I need to get out.

"Hurry up, Tobias!" I call back to him. I hear his footsteps behind me in no time and suddenly he's at my side.

We walk out the doors of the compound in silence, relishing this moment of freedom. It's been too long. I've been inside for too long.

"You ready?" Tobias asks me as we approach the truck.

"Of course." He laughs and rolls his eyes at me.

He's been back to Chicago since the whole event over a week ago, but I haven't even been able to leave the hospital. He doesn't understand how badly I need to go back, how badly I need to know what I did was worth it.

We get in the truck and start driving back home.

Home.

I guess that's what it is to me. It will always be my home. Through the good and the bad I have always considered it the place I would return to, the place that would take me back and let me live within its wall again. You don't turn your back on a place like that.

Tobias and I make it there soon enough and we pass through the gate on the fence with ease.

"It isn't locked anymore," he tells me. "Anyone is free to come and go as they please."

"Have people left?" I ask.

"No." Tobias shrugs, as if it was obvious.

"Why not?"

"The same reason we are going back. It's our home."

And you don't just abandon your home.

We park the truck and walk to the old Amity compound. The fields we passed through to get there are now covered in a small layer of snow.

"It's beautiful." I whisper.

"Yes, but this beauty is killing our crops. We weren't really prepared for such an early snow. At least when it melts, it'll be good for the plants." Johanna comes around the corner of the building and smiles at us.

"It's good to see you again, Johanna." Tobias says, taking her hand in his.

"Not as good as it is to see you." She looks at me and I can see tears brimming her eyes.

I extend my hand to her, but she wraps her arms around me instead.

"Thank you for everything." I mumble into her ear. I feel her nod her head.

"And thank you, Tris. Thank you."

After a long reunion, we head inside to warm up. We are all sitting in her office talking about the state the city is in. Business, of course. I try to focus on what Johanna is saying, but all I can think about is how pretty she looks with her hair pulled back. She's strong and smart and I wish I could be as good of a leader as she is.

_One day_, I tell myself. _One day I will be_.

"So what do you think, Tris?" I hear Tobias say.

"Um… what? Sorry."

He and Johanna laugh and I feel my cheeks turn red.

"Where do you want to go visit next?" He says.

I think about it for a second, but the answer to that question has been in the back of my mind for over a week now.

"Dauntless headquarters."

It's darker than I remember.

Maybe it's because many of the lights have burned out or because the memories of this place are clouding my vision. This was where everything started. Where I met Tobias and Christina and Uriah, where I found out more about my divergence, where I almost fell to my death, where I spent months training and fighting and growing stronger and stronger. This was where I found out who I was supposed to be. Who I wanted to be.

"What are you thinking about?" Tobias squeezes my hand and looks down at me. I've been too quiet, he probably thinks that coming here was a mistake.

I brush him off. "You. And me. And that night you took me to that secret spot by the chasm." I give him a sultry smile and before I know it his lips are on mine.

"I remember that night. Our first kiss." He kisses me again, this time longer. I slowly push him against the wall and trail my fingers down his chest to his stomach.

"I was so scared." I whisper.

"Me too." I give a small laugh.

"You were?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me toward him. I look up and see his dark blue eyes staring at me.

"Because I knew once I kissed you, there was no turning back. Once I kissed you, I'd be yours forever."

We kiss for a little while longer before we start walking around the compound. Nothing has really changed other than peoples' clothes. The different colors make up for the darkness. People haven't given up on the idea of incorporating everyone into society. Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudite, Candor, Amity, those are just words now. They do not define anyone anymore.

We are all human.

It's a beautiful site to see. It's amazing to think that even in such a short amount of time, people are embracing this new freedom they have and using it to better the society.

Everyone is equal.

Or at least, that's the hope. It will take more time for everyone to adjust. I can still see colors clumped together, even though everyone shares the same space. But this is progress. We are not operating under a leader. We do not have to do this. This is our choice.

This is the future.

"You're being so quiet." Tobias says to me. I nod.

"Just taking it all in."

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

We leave the compound shortly after and take the train further into the city. It's hard leaving Dauntless headquarters, but I know one day I'll be back.

"Where to now?" Tobias asks. I give him one look and he nods. He already knows where I want to go.

We jump off and walk towards the Abnegation sector. My first home. The place where my parents raised me and my brother and I played Candor and I could only look in the mirror on the second day of every third month when my mother would cut my hair.

This is the place my mother and father chose to run to. This is where they built their life together. After it seemed like everything had turned against them, they managed to find peace here.

Maybe this place isn't so bad after all.

"Tobias, do you ever think about what it would've been like if you and I chose Abnegation instead of Dauntless?"

I can see him stiffen, probably thinking of the reason why he left Abnegation in the first place. But he relaxes in an instant and smiles.

"I wouldn't be holding your hand right now."

I look down at our intertwined fingers. How did I get so comfortable with our public displays of affection? Months ago I would have cringed at the thought of us holding hands while walking along these streets. Now, I can't imagine _not_ holding Tobias's hand.

"Do you think we would still be together?"

"Yes. We wouldn't know about the experiment, we wouldn't know anything, really, and we would be in grey clothes, but I would still love you."

I stop walking.

"I changed my mind. I don't want to be here anymore."

"What? Tris-"

"This was where I grew up and where I thought I wanted to come back to. But this was where my parents belonged, not me. I knew that the moment I chose Dauntless. I don't belong here anymore. Even with the new laws, I don't think I can be here."

"Then follow me."

Tobias wraps his arm around my waist and practically drags me back the way we came. We walk in silence. Minutes go by and soon we are out of the Abnegation sector.

He stops us near a fountain I would pass by on my way to school every morning. His cheeks are red as he faces me. A spare upper lip and a full lower lip. A small scar on his chin. Deep-set, dark blue eyes with patch of light blue on the left iris.

"Tobias, what-" I start.

"I love you, Beatrice."

His eyes are wide. His hands are shaking.

"And I love you, Tobias. But… why are you using my real name?"

"You said to use it on special occasions, right?"

I give him a questioning look as he takes a deep breath and reaches into his coat pocket, taking out a small box. He kneels down and opens the box.

"Beatrice, will you marry me?"


End file.
